Cotton-chopper.



No. 738,659. PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903. J. A. CARLTON & H. L. HARRELL.

COTTON CHOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 3 BHEETB-8HEET 1.

\ ilgqss s Y lggcgfons m: NORRIS pangs copmom-ufno; wn umcmm a c.

No. 7 ,559. r PATENTED SEPT. 8,1903. J. A. CARLTON & H. L. HARRELL...

COTTON CHOPPER.

, APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 1. 1903.

no MODEL. a SEEETS-SHEET 2.

J05 .fl. (h /2m; fiqgefialh azzell Hdif ass 5 gx 1 9 91013 Y No. 788,659. PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903. J. A. CARLTON 6;; H31. HARRELL.

COTTON G'HjOPPER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1903.

NO'MODBL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

m: NCRRIS PETERS co, PhOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON, n c.

known as cotton-choppers.

Patented September 8, 1903.

;UNITED STATE- s PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN 'A. CARLTON AND HEZEKIAH L. HARRELL,OF MOULTRIE,. GEORGIA, 'AssIe oRs or ONE-HALF T0 TI-IADDEUS H. PARKER AND ELLA I. DUKES,

OF MOULTRIE, GEORGIA;

COTTON-,CHOPPER.

srncxmoa'rxon forming part of LettersPatent Ne. 738,659, dated September 8, 190.3.

, Applicationfiled June 1,1903. Serial No. 159,698. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, J OHN A. CARLTON and HEZEKIAH L. HABRELL, citizens of the United States,.residing"at Moultrie, in. the county of 'Oolquitt andStateof Georgia, have invented a new and useful Cotton- Chopper, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to agricultural implements of that class which are generally One object of the invention is to provide a suitable frame of peculiarconstruction which is adapted tocarry the chopping elements and means for transmitting motion to the same.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the said frame that by removing the chopping elements it may be adapted to support other machine parts, such as are customarily usedupon the farmsuch, for instance, as seeding devices -which shall be adapted to be operated by the same means which are utilized for the purpose of providing power for driving the cotton-chopping 3 elements when the latter are used, it being furthermore understood that in place of seed ing devices other machine elements, such as cultivators or the like, may be mounted for operation in the improved frame, which may go be described 'as being the'prominent subject of the present invention.

With these and other objects in View, which will appear as the nature of the invention is more perfectly understood, the said invention 3 5 consists in the improved construction, ar-

rangement, and combination of parts tending toward the production of a device which shall possess superior advantages in point of simplicity, durability, and general efficiency, as

40 will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed outin the claims.

a a top plan View showing the embodiment of our invention as a cotton-chopper. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device as shown in Fig. 1, the rie'ar shield l lhal'ving been broken away. Fig. 3 is a side view of one of the cutting elements of the chopper. Fig. t is an edge View of'the same. Fig. 5 is a detail per- Fig. 6 is a plan view of the frame equipped with seedboxes or hoppers and adapted for 1 operation as a seed-planter. Fig. 7 is a side View of the device as shown in Fig. 6, the near shield l4: having been removed. Fig. 8 is a detail view of a marking device which may be used in connection with our inven- I tion. Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by similar numerals of referonce. y The frame of this device is preferably constructed by bending the same from strap-iron of suitable dimensions. The front portion of the frame comprises a cross-bar 1, forwardly-extending side bars 2 2, and front members 3 3, which are so bent from the i front ends of the side members 2 as to converge forwardly, as shown, the said inclined members 3 3 being connected at their front ends by a short front piece 4, which is parallel to the bar 1. This front member 4 has a central enlargement 5, which is vertically perforated, as shown at 6, for the attachment of the draft, which may beby means of an '75 ordinary swingletree. (Not shown.) At the junction of the inclined members 3 3 with the side members 2 2 of the frame are disposed boxes or bearings 7 7 which are permanently associated with the frame, and

which afiord bearings for the main shaft 8,

centrally upon which is mounted a tractionwheel 9, which may be secured upon the shaft by means of set-screws 10, extending through the hub or collar of said Wheel and bearing against the shaft. The wheel 10 is provided with radially-extending spikes 11 for the purpose of biting into or engaging the ground, and thus insuring the steady rotation of the traction-wheel as well as of the axle upon 0 In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 'is which it is mounted. The ends of the main shaft or axle 8 carry bevel-pinions 12, which may be permanently secured upon the proj ecting ends of said axle. Curved guard-plates 14, which are suitably supported 'by oreon- 5 nected with the frame, arefdispose'dto protect the said bevel-pinions, as well as the members meshing therewith, as will be pres ently described, from sticks or stalks which might; otherwisebe liable to interfere with the operation of the device.

Centrally attached to the frame-bar 1 and extending rearwardly from the latter is a horizontally-disposed. bar or brace 13, the rear end of which supports a frame-bar 15, which is disposed parallel to the frame-bar 1. Handle members 16 are provided, said handle members having their front ends attached to the frame-bar 15 near the ends of the latter,

from which the said handle members con-' verge rearwardly, they being connected with each other by means of a transverse brace 17 and with the brace-bar 14 by means of diagonally-disposed braces 18. The various connections and fastenings may be accomplished in any suitable well-known manner.

When the frame which has been just described is to be employed for the purpose of supporting a cotton-chopper, bearing-boxes 19 are suitably attached to the ends of the rear bar 15 of the frame, said boxes affording bearings for the rear ends of shafts 20, the front ends of which are journaled in boxes 21, which are suitably clipped or otherwise attached to the side members 2 of the front part of the frame. The front ends of the shafts 20 are equipped with pinions 22, meshing with the bevel-pinions 12, from which rotary motion will thus be imparted to said shafts, the speed of rotation being governed by the relative sizes of the bevel-gears 12 and 22. Suitably mounted upon each shaft 20 is a sleeve 23, in which a plurality of cutters 24 are mounted.

The cutters used in connection with our improved cotton-chopping device have been clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and of the drawings, by reference to which it will be seen that each cutter consists of a steel plate trimmed to the shape illustrated in said figures, by reference to which it will be seen that each cutter may be described as consisting of a rectangular base 25 and intermediate shaft 26, extending from said base-plate, said shank being of about one-third the width of said plate and extending centrally from the edge thereof. The outer edge of the shank 26 connects with the inner edge of an outer plate 27, the width of which is about equal to the width of the base-plate 25, and the outer edge of said outer plate is connected with the blade or cutter 28, the width of which exceeds the width of the plates 25 and 27 by several inches. These four members 25, 26, 27, and 28 are to be cut or stamped from.

a single piece of steel, and the shank memher-26 is bent rearwardly at an obtuse angle to the base-plate 25, the members 27 and 28 being bent forwardly at obtuse angles to each other and to the shank member 26. The

outer edge of the blade 28 is beveled or sharpened, as at 29. It will be seen that when will act as scoops to cut or chop the surplus plants out from the row as the machine progresses over the ground. Each sleeve 23 may be provided with a plurality of these cutters, two being the n umber usually ernployed,while it is intended that the sleeve shall be so constructed that one or more additional blades or cutters may be used when desired. This, however, will involve no departure from the general construction ofthe device. vious that regardless of the number of cutters 24 we use in connection with the device they should extend radially and equidistantly from the carrying-sleeve 23. The operation of the embodiment of our invention, which consists of a cotton-chopper, will be readily understood from the foregoing description, takenin connection with the drawings hereto annexed. The traction-wheel 9 engages the ground between the rows, and the operator grasps the handles 16, and thereby supports the device at the desired elevation above the ground. The machine may be drawn by a single horse or mule walking be tween the rows. As the machine progresses rotary motion is transmitted from the traction-wheel through the gearing 12 22 to the shafts 20, carrying the cotton-choppers, and the latter will operate in the usual manner to chop out the rows at the necessary intervals, which are regulated, as hereinbefore described, hy the relative sizes of the bevelgears 12 and 22. gage the depth of the cut by raising or lowering the handles, as may be desired.

When the machine is to be converted into a seed-planter, the shafts 20 and the bearings and related parts of said shafts are removed from the frame, and in their places are disposed a pair of seed boxes or hoppers 31, the,

sides of which are provided with bracketplates 32, connected by means of bolts 33 with the frame-bars 1 and 15. A shaft 34 is dis posed transversely of the brace member 14 of the frame, and said shaft extends through the seed boxes or hoppers and is provided with-seed-disks 35, by means of which the contents of said hoppers will be conveyed into the seed-tubes 36, which extend downwardly from the hoppers in the usual manner. To the sides 2 2 of the forward part of the frame are secured clips 37, in which shovel-carrying feet or standards 38 are adj ustably mounted by means of bolts 39, each engaging a plurality of perforations 40 in the said feet or standards. The latter carry at their lower ends the furrow-openers 41, which are of ordinary construction. Springs or elastic brackets 42, secured to the rear sides of the seedboxes, extend downwardly and serve to support coverers 43 of ordinary construction.

When the device is used as a seed-planter, it is proposed to use in connection therewith a device for laying off rows, which consists simply of a clip 50, having a set-screw 51, whereby it may be clamped upon one of the It is obv The operator may obviously ICC beam. Saidclip isprovided with an outwa rdlyfl extending socket 52, in which is mounted a Wooden rod 53, at the end of which is secured, an angular or L-shaped socket 54, in the under side of which is mounted a marking device consisting of a vertical wooden rod 5,501" suitable length to engage the ground and to mark a furrow therein, which when the machine is turned at the end of the row will serve as a guide to the driver in retracing his course.

Upon the axle 8 adjacent to the tractionwheel 9 is mounted a sprocket-wheel 44, con-, nected by a chain with a sprocket-wheel 46 upon the seeder-shaft 34, to which motion will thus be transmitted, the rapidity of the, motion being regulated by'the relative sizes of the sprocket-wheels 44 and 46.

It will be readily understood how our improvedframe may be utilized in connection with other machine elements, and we reserve the right to such modifications as arewithin the scope of our invention and which may be a resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the utility of the same.

Having thus described the invention, we claim- ,1 In a device of the class described, a supporting-frame comprising a forward frame- I from the rear bar of such frame-section, and

section,a brace member extending rearwardly a cross-bar carried by the rear end of said brace member parallel to the rear cross-bar of the forwardfr'ame-section.

2. In adevice of the class described,a framesection having a rearwardly extending brace member and a cross-bar supported by said brace member,rearwardly-con verging handle members connected with the cross-bar near the ends of the latter, and a brace connecting said handle members.

3 In a device of the class described,aframe section having a rearwardly-extending brace member, a cross-bar supported by said brace member,rearwardly converging handle members connected with the cross-bar near the ends thereof, a transverse brace connecting said handle members, and forwardly-convergingbraces connecting said handle members with the rearwardly-extending brace of the framesection and connected with the cross-bar carried by said brace member at the points of intersection.

4. In a device of the class described,a front frame-section, a rear frame-section compris ing a cross-bar and handles, and a centrallydisposed brace member connecting the said front and rear frame-sections. v

5. Ina device of the class described, a supporting-frame having a front section composed of two members provided at their connecting-points with' boxings adapted to be placed in alinement with each other, in combination with an axle extending through said boxings.

6. In a device of the class described, a suprporting-frame having side members and forwardly-converging front members,said side and front members being divided and pro vided attheir points ofjuncture with boxings alining with'each other, in combination with a shaft extending through said boxings and connecting the frame members. a

7 In a device of the class described,a frame consisting of front and rear sections connected by-a central brace member, in combination with revoluble cotton-chopping devices disposed between the said front and rear framesections on opposite sides of the central brace member.

8. In a device of the class described, a front frame-section having parallel side members and forwardly converging front members, bearings disposed near the intersection of said side and front members, an axle journaled in said bearings,a traction-wheel upon said axle, a brace member extending rearwardly from the front frame-section,a cross-bar supported by said brace member, bearing-boxes at the ends of said cross-bar, bearings secured upon I the side members of the front frame-section,

shafts journaled in said bearings and inthe bearing-boxes, choppers mounted upon, said shafts, and means for transmitting motion to the'latterfrom the axle of the machine.

9. In adevice of the class described, a front frame-section, a rear frame-section, a brace member connecting said front and rear frame-sections, shafts journaled adjacent to the sides of the front frame-section, bearingboxes upon the rear frame-section supporting the rear ends of said shafts, chopping elements mounted upon said shafts, an axle journaled transversely in the front frame-section,

a traction-wheel upon said axle, bevel-gears connecting said axle with the chopper-carrying shafts, and guards supported by the front frame-section in proximity to the bevel-gear.

10. In a device of the class described, a choppingblade comprising an inner baseplate an outer plate member of approximately the same width, connected by a shank of reduced width, the outer plate, being provided with a blade of increased width projecting beyond the edges of said outer plate.

nected with the cross-bar, and braces connecting said handle members with eachother and with the main brace member, in combi 11. In a device of the class described,a

nation with machine elements supported be-,

ICO

tween the front frame-section and the rear ourown we have hereto aftixed our signatures cr0ss-bar,an axlejonrnaled in the front framein the presence of two witnesses.

section, a traction-wheel upon said axle, and JOHN A. CARLTON.

means for transmitting motion from said axle HEZEKIAH L. HARRELL. 5 t0 the machine elements supported upon the Witnesses:

frame. M. M. KENDALL,

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as G. W. HOOKER. 

